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Ubuntu Tweak 0.8 brings back Apps functionality

The latest version of Ubuntu Tweak brings back the ability for users to install applications not available from the normal repositories

The latest version of the Ubuntu Tweak tool, which provides users with an easy way to access configuration options that are not easily exposed by Ubuntu's user interface, brings back the Apps feature that was taken out in previous versions of the tool. In the newly released Ubuntu Tweak 0.8.0, users are once again presented with a menu that allows them to install applications that are currently not available through the Ubuntu Software Centre. While all of the applications are available from different sources, the tool makes it much easier to install them and presents users with a one stop solution to install additional software.

Ubuntu Tweak's App menus allows users to install the Chrome, Chromium and Opera web browsers, as well as several versions of Oracle's VirtualBox virtualisation software. Other programs not available from the normal repositories include the proprietary text editor Sublime Text 2, the games utility PlayOnLinux and Google Earth. To install software, users first have to activate a check box to add the corresponding software source to their system and are then presented with a button to install the application. Under the hood, Ubuntu Tweak pulls together several personal package archives (PPAs) to present the user with the list of software to install.

Ubuntu Tweak's developers point out that the Apps feature is currently under development and still has some problems: several packages can only be installed in a fixed order one after the other and the ability to rate the applications or give feedback on them is also missing. More information on changes in the new release is available from the release page on Launchpad. A .deb package for Ubuntu Tweak 0.8 is available from the project's web site and the source code for the application is licensed under the GPL.